Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Old-fashioned Butterscotch Pudding

I’ve wanted to make this recipe for a few months, but other
recipes (and a busy life) got in the way. Finally I spent some time in the
kitchen to create this dessert from long ago.

I grew up enjoying butterscotch pudding, but I have to
confess it was the box-mix kind. In fact, I’m not sure I ever tasted the
homemade version until now, but Mom said Mamaw made homemade all of the time,
so chances are I’ve had it in the past. Also, Grandma (Dad’s mom) made
butterscotch pie for my mom whenever she knew we were coming for a visit. It’s
one of Mom’s favorite desserts.

You don’t hear a lot about butterscotch anymore. It’s that
old fashioned. And when you do, it is often a negative reaction, like the one I
got from The Picky Eater. Needless to say, he wasn’t one of my taste testers
this recipe.

If you’ve never been a fan of butterscotch pudding, I want
to encourage you to try the homemade version. It makes all of the difference!
If you’ve never tried it before, give it a go, especially if you like caramel
and toffee, which are similar to butterscotch.

As I was researching butterscotch pudding recipes (there’s a
great Washington Post article on the history here), I came across recipes made with
a variety of methods. Some have you melt butter and brown sugar together first.
Others add egg yolks. A few do both.

I liked this recipe from Epicurious. It was simple and took
very little time to make. One important thing to remember is to use dark brown sugar, not the light brown
kind. It makes a difference in the flavor, though the pudding with the light
brown sugar did have a nice caramel flavor. But it wasn’t butterscotch.

I also came across recipes that included liquor, mostly
scotch, whiskey, or rum. I had some brandy on hand and the finished product
tasted lovely. So if you want a grown-up version, just add a little kick to
your pudding at the end.

This recipe tastes great. The butterscotch flavor is mild,
so it may be a good start for someone who isn’t a fan of the flavor or never
tried it before. It is also very easy to make…great for beginning cooks or ones
short on time.

In a heavy-bottomed, medium saucepan, add the dark brown
sugar, cornstarch and salt, and whisk together until well blended. Whisk in the
milk and cream. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil, whisking often. Once
the boiling point is reached, allow to boil for 1 minute while constantly
whisking. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter, vanilla, and
liquor (if using.) Pour into 4 serving dishes and cover with plastic wrap on
the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until
cold, about 2 hours.

7 comments:

I, too, remember the MY-T-Fine boxed butterscotch pudding that my mother would sometimes make ... a special treat! Wouldn't your version make a beautiful pudding pie? Does the recipe make enough pudding for a 9-inch pie shell?

I definitely remember the boxed version of butterscotch pudding, and I would love to try this. I've been toying with the idea of a butterscotch pot de creme, and now I might have to rethink. The texture looks amazing!

About Me

For more than a decade I have been a freelance writer. With more than 1,000 articles in print, my work has appeared in the Boston Globe, Topeka Capital-Journal, Concord Monitor, Around Concord, Hippo entertainment newspaper, Dallas Morning News, CatFancy, New Hampshire Home, Best of Burlington, Upper Valley Image, Woodstock Magazine, Better Nutrition, Great Life, Let’s Live, and American Airlines Custom Publishing. And I love to cook! I credit the women from my childhood for introducing me to the kitchen. My mother taught me how to sift ingredients for Tollhouse cookies and acted as my consultant while, at ten years of age, I fixed my first roast beef dinner. Grandma made homemade noodles that were so coated in flour that the chicken broth they boiled in became thick, rich gravy. And Mamaw created delicious meals in Missouri farmhouse kitchen that was the heart of her home. (And she actually hated to cook.) But my education in the finer points of good food came from television chefs such as Graham Kerr, Jeff Smith, Jacques Pépin, and, of course, Julia Child. She taught me to not be afraid of the most complicated dish thanks to her easy-going attitude about food.